I Belong To You
by dumbest genius
Summary: Falling in love with your best friend isn't easy, but when your feelings are returned, you're the happiest person on Earth. Eventual rizzles, full of fluff!
1. I think I love you

_Author's Note: First of all, thank you for taking the time and reading this. I'm not very experienced in writing but I'm trying. If you find any mistakes please let me know. _**  
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_Secondly, the disclaimers. Briefly, Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles do not belong to me. I do not expect to gain any profit from this piece of work._

_Finally, I hope you enjoy this story! Please leave a review to let me know what you think._

* * *

To love is to be vulnerable.

Vulnerable? That wasn't a word in Jane Rizzoli's dictionary. That was until she had met the new Medical Examiner of the Boston Police Department, Maura Isles.

Since the day they had met Jane knew that this woman was special. Although her often rude and grumpy self usually made it hard for Jane to make friends, she found herself drawn to the Medical Examiner the moment she saw her. Strangely, despite their many differences the two quickly became friends, their bond getting closer and closer each day.

In spite of her insecurities, those that had only grown worse since Hoyt, Jane was willing to let her guard down for Maura. She trusted her in everything, she knew Maura would do her no harm. The quirky Medical Examiner, whom Jane dearly adored was innocence at its finest. Sure Maura had her own demons, but they had beaten them. Being the daughter of an Irish mob boss while serving for justice was ironic enough, but growing up without the warmth of a family environment and spending a whole childhood without any friends only made the whole thing harder. Then there was Hoyt.

Jane stiffened at the thought. How on earth could she let Hoyt get to Maura? That was one thing Jane would never forgive herself for. That monster had not only terribly influenced Maura by lying to her about how _they were the same, _he had also almost, almost took her life. If it wasn't for that sudden adrenaline rush Jane had got -as Maura explained, in certain situations when one is excited or in major fear, humans can get a sudden extreme strength, sometimes even be able to lift cars- they would both... no. There's no _if_s, it's over. Hoyt's gone, they were both safe.

Inner demons, Hoyt. That Dennis guy who nearly made a sculpture of Maura by _actually _using Maura. Family problems. Insecurities and wounds and scars from the past, physical or emotional, it didn't matter. They had both came over it together.

_Together. _Jane usually preferred to be alone. She didn't like the company of others. Family dinners and gatherings were one thing, but people? They only judged her for doing her job, being her own self. Even her own family had at one point of her life had judged her for many things. Being a cop. Risking her own dear life for people she didn't even know. Seeking justice when she could simply sit on her ass doing desk duty, completely safe from harm. Was that what she wanted, though? Definitely not. She loved her job, though she knew she was risking her life every day, she loved serving the people of Boston. Seeking justice for the unlucky ones who had lost their life because of some sick psycho with emotional, mental or financial problems. If people didn't like it, they could as well stay the hell away from her life.

Then there was Maura. Maura, who never judged Jane for who she was. The quirky yet adorable Maura Isles, that weird but wonderful woman who could spout out endless facts and information about anything, everything, yet couldn't understand most social cues. Who had a thing for clothing and probably had more pieces of clothing and shoes than ones sold in an entire shopping mall. Maura Isles, the socially awkward fashionista who owned a tortoise as a pet. Who cut up dead people for a living not only because she also loved dedicating her life for justice and had an interest for forensic science, but she also disliked the living. The list of her flaws went on and on, but honestly, they only made the already very attractive Medical Examiner only more desirable.

Those let alone made Jane madly in love with the Medical Examiner, though she had to give credit for her appearance. Maura was truly a goddess. With her lightly freckled pale skin, slightly curled silky golden hair, that beautiful pair of hazel eyes Jane often found herself lost in. Her feminine curves, and oh God those breasts. Yoga toned pair of legs which looked extremely appealing in heels. Maura was breathtaking indeed.

It was strange how Jane was feeling. Yes, she did love everything about Maura Isles. She loved Maura for her weird ways, how she often interrupted when they were watching documentaries only to babble out the facts that had yet to be told _in_ the documentary, how she spent hours and hours shopping for clothes when Jane didn't even understand how Maura managed to practically sprint in five inch heels, how she always left a six pack of beer in her fridge only for Jane, even if she didn't like beer. Jane loved it all.

_Best friend. _Jane groaned in frustration. _Best friends, that's what we are, and it's not going to change. Ever. _Perhaps what Jane was feeling was normal, she wasn't really sure if other people also felt such strong feelings for their best friends. Though, if there was one thing that she knew, it was that it wasn't normal to get jealous when your best friend introduces you to their new date.

Jane sighed as she took another sip of her beer. It didn't take a detective to know that these feelings had nothing to do with friendship. She couldn't deny it anymore, she was head over heels in love with Maura.

''This sucks.'' Jane muttered. It was just another friday night and she had already finished all her paperwork due. Unless some freak would decide to murder someone in the next two days, the whole Boston Police Department Homicide Unit had the weekend off. It was indeed a perfect opportunity to relax, after a busy week of struggle to solve a triple homicide. Yet there Jane was, sitting on her couch alone with Jo Friday crawled next to her, watching a recent game of Red Sox.

Jane had spent her whole Friday evening in the same position, only moving from the couch to grab another bottle of beer. After finishing her sixth bottle, she realized how ridiculous her situation was. Normally she would be spending her friday evenings with Maura, cuddling on her couch watching movies or documentaries accompanied by beer and wine. What about now? Both women were busy. _Maura is busy, _Jane thought to herself. Her mind wandered to their dialogue from earlier that day.

* * *

_After being stuck to her desk whole day finishing up paperwork, Jane was eager to see her best friend. Too eager, in fact, to wait for the elevator to arrive. She quickly ran down the stairs and walked towards the morgue. Calming herself down, she knocked at the door before she heard the reply,_

''_Come in,'' _

_Jane walked inside to see her friend busy with the corpse. It took Maura only a few seconds to complete whatever she was doing. She then looked up at the detective and smiled._

''_Hello Jane!'' She said cheerfully._

_Jane found herself smiling back. She couldn't help but adore how Maura only smiled that way, only for Jane. _

_''I'm sorry I couldn't visit earlier. The work kept me busy as hell.'' Jane sighed as she sat down on a nearby stool and massaged her forehead with her hands._

''_It's alright, you had a crime to solve. I'm really glad you came, I had something to tell you!'' _

_Could it be what Jane was thinking? What Jane hoped it would be? Nah, she thought. Not even slightly possible. _

_''Yeah?'' Jane replied._

''_Well, do you remember Jonathan, the new officer in the Drugs Unit? We were talking earlier today about the case, when he brought the drug test reports. Then we were just chatting and he asked me out!'' Maura sounded very happy, unlike Jane who felt like she was just punched in the stomach._

_Jane froze. She had heard about Jonathan, even though she had never seen him before. She couldn't help but think, how could he simply have the balls to ask Maura out? Maura Isles, the Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The beautiful, weird but wonderful Maura Isles. Had he not known who Maura was? She was definitely out of his league. _

_The detective was at loss for words. ''...And?'' was all she could get out of her mouth.__._

''_And I said yes,'' Maura smiled. ''We're going out for dinner tonight'' _

_God damn it. Jane suddenly felt terrible. It was _their_ friday night, they were supposed to spend it together! Why on earth would Maura sacrifice it for a date with a guy who she had only recently met, Jane had no idea. Oh how she wanted to be at Jonathan's place for that night. How she wanted to ask Maura out, to hold her hand and just be with her. If only she had the courage. _

_Was that jealousy Jane was feeling? No way, Jane thought. You feel jealous for someone going on a date with another person only when you… love that someone? No. No, I love Maura, but not in that way. I'm her best friend and I should be happy for her._

''_That's… great, Maura,'' Jane forced a smile. She just wanted to get out of there, immediately. ''I'm really happy for you.'' I'm not. Go out with me, not him._

''_Thank you, Jane. I know we usually spent our Fridays together watching movies, but I couldn't decline his offer. It wouldn't be kind of me'' Maura said._

''_Of course, I understand.'' Jane replied, but only she didn't understand it. They could always have fancy dinners together, what was so special about it that Maura would cancel their plans for it? That guy better not be handsome and charming. What if he asks Maura out again? What if Maura likes that guy? What if... no. Stop it, Rizzoli! Get a hold of yourself. I need to get out of here. _

_With that thought Jane turned to walk out of the room, throwing a rushed ''Goodbye, have fun.'' over her shoulder. She heard Maura call her name, but she didn't turn back. She just ran inside the elevator and pressed the up button._

* * *

She hadn't talked to Maura since the morgue talk. It wasn't very nice of her, to ignore Maura for accepting a date offer. Through their friendship they had both dated countless men, and Jane was always supportive. She sometimes even helped Maura pick her clothing for her date. Comforted and encouraged Maura when she was nervous. Now, why was she feeling like this all of a sudden? _Because I fell for her, God damn it. _

She knew that Maura was probably oblivious to Jane's actions and that she probably thought that she herself had done something wrong and felt bad. It wasn't fair for Maura. Just because Jane acted childish and stormed out of the morgue and not said a word to her, Maura was probably blaming herself for it.

In any other occasion Jane would call Maura and apologize for her behaviour. This time, however, Jane had no intention of doing so. As childish as it sounds, Jane would try to avoid for the rest of the week end.

On the other hand though, she couldn't really blame Maura. She never could. Even though Maura sometimes really annoyed the crap out of Jane, she could never simply be mad at Maura.

So what was she supposed to do? Since Maura had a date, she thought it would be best if she didn't call her.

Jane glanced at her watch. _11 p.m. already? Wow, I have been sitting here drowning myself in beer for what, 5 hours? I really must be desperate._ Jane sighed. _And well… since it's pretty late now, I bet Maura and Jonathan are done with their dinner, and if that guy's lucky enough, he's probably in Maura's bed and-_

Jane stopped herself from thinking any further. She simply couldn't imagine her best friend, the one she had madly fallen in love with, banging some random guy while she sat alone with her feelings.

''I'm pathetic.'' Jane muttered. She reached for the TV remote to turn the volume up. The only thing that could keep her mind from her best friend was baseball. _Thank God for baseball,_ Jane thought. She got up to collect the empty beer bottles from her coffee table and walked to the trash can and then threw the bottles away. She then threw herself on the couch, trying to focus only at the baseball game. She pat Jo Friday's head with her hand while taking a sip of her beer with the other and sighed. ''At least you're enjoying yourself.'' She smiled at the dog who had snuggled to Jane's side, now breathing soundly.

* * *

Jane woke up to a soft knock on her door. The TV was still turned on, the morning news airing. It was only eight a.m., who could it be?

_I must have fallen asleep while watching the game, _Jane thought. Her body ached terribly from spending the night on her not so comfortable couch. She stretched her arms and got up, slowly walking towards the door before opening it.

''Maura?'' Jane asked. She was surprised to find her friend on her door. She smiled to herself._ Well, maybe she didn't spend the night with her date. That's a good sign. No, stop it Rizzoli. She's your friend._ ''What are you doing here?''

Maura shrugged. ''May I come in?'' She sounded rather tired, perhaps she stayed up for long last night? _Hopefully not screwing Jonathan._

''How was your date with uh, Jonathan?'' Jane asked as she moved aside from the door, leaving Maura space to walk inside. Though she wasn't eager to hear how amazing the date went, she couldn't help wondering.

''Not bad,'' Maura said. ''He didn't turn out as I expected him to be.'' She sat on the couch.

''Let me guess. Medical disorders? Too feminine? Chest and back hair?'' Jane joked. Part of her hoped that one of the things she listed were true. She walked toward the kitchen counter and began preparing coffee as she took out two mugs.

Maura sighed. ''No, no and I don't know.'' She smiled as Jane approached and handed her a cup of coffee.

''You didn't take him home?'' Jane found herself asking. _Nice job, Rizzoli. _She covered her face with her hands. ''Damn, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be asking this... God I'm turning into my mother.'' she sighed.

''No, I didn't.'' came the reply. _Oh thank God. _Jane smiled in relief. She knew she was being rather selfish for wishing that her best friend's date would not go well, but then again she should feel this way, right? She wasn't supposed to feel happy when the person she's in love with goes on dates. _Perhaps I should ask Maura on a date... wait, what?_

''I'm sorry,'' _I'm not. Suck it Jonathan! _''Well, I need to take a shower now. I'll be out in fifteen, then we could go out for breakfast?'' Jane's stomach filled with butterflies at the thought of them going out for breakfast together, like how couples go out for breakfast dates. _Okay, this is not exactly a date. We go out for breakfast all the time. Why am I suddenly nervous? _

Maura smiled as she took a sip of her coffee. ''I would love that.''


	2. First Date

_Author's Note: I'm flattered by the amount of attention this story got. I received so many follows and favourites, I'm so glad you guys enjoyed the first part. Hope you like this one. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this one._

_P.S this chapter could__ be rated M-ish. Well, not really, it doesn't include any smut but it has some kind of actions that are often done in foreplays. Teasing, some touching etc. There's nothing much steamy, so no need to change the rating. I just felt like warning, in case you don't like those stuff. You may get excited *smirks* but there's nothing that should be rated M in this chapter, so you may read on. _

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It was just another beautiful day in Boston. No murders meant a peaceful community _and_ a day off for the Boston Police Department workers. After finishing her final paperwork, Jane Rizzoli went down to the morgue to visit her best friend. She knocked on the door before walking in. Jane looked around the morgue to see it empty. _There's no way Maura left without telling me._

''Maura?'' Jane called.

She then heard a reply from the Medical Examiner's office. ''I'm here, Jane'' _Phew._

Jane walked inside the office and bit her tongue to hold back a laugh. Maura was busy with a huge pile of papers, trying to rearrange them. Annoyance was visible on the doctor's face. Both of her hands were full with files and documents, some were laying on her desk, building a tall pile of paper. You could hardly see the surface of the wooden table as it was almost fully covered in white.

''Doctor Pike left these autopsy reports on my desk. He's so disorganized, I can't believe he left them here without even placing them in the correct order!'' Maura sighed. ''I don't even know how I started this chaotic mess. The files were scattered on the desk haphazardly and I had decided to make some new arrangements, I never intended on making a huge mess!''

''Come on, Maur. It's _his_ mess, why are _you_ trying to fix it? Besides, it's our day off! I had something in mind'' Jane said as she sat on Maura's rather uncomfortable couch. For one who loves the finer things in life, why Maura had decided to get this stone hard couch was a mystery to Jane.

Maura looked up at Jane. ''What were you thinking, Jane?'' she asked.

''Well, do you remember when you told me that you had never been to a baseball game before?''

* * *

_''Mauraaaaaa,'' Jane groaned. ''Where the hell is the remote?!'' _

_''Language, Jane. I'm not telling you where it is unless you kindly ask for it.'' Maura replied, a smug grin on her face._

_''Fine, then. My dear friend Maura, would you please tell me where the TV remote is? As you may or may not have known already, the Red Sox game is on in less than fifteen minutes and I would be very pleased if you told me where the damn remote is.'' _

_Maura rolled her eyes. Jane did try, but she just had to add a curse. ''No.'' came the answer._

_''What? Why?! I was kind!'' Jane replied in a rather frustrated tone._

_''Yes you were, but don't you think you spend too much time watching baseball games?'' Maura asked._

_''Of course not! Maur, give me the remote. I mean it.'' Jane took a step toward Maura, forcing her to back down against the wall._

_''Make me.'' Maura shrugged. _

_Jane sighed. Maura could be damn stubborn at times. Frustrated enough, Jane seized Maura's hands, holding them tightly. Looking directly into the blonde's eyes, Jane asked again, ''Tell me where the remote is, Maura. I'm not kidding. If the game starts before I get that remote I will be mad.''_

_Maura giggled. She was amused by Jane's reaction and to be honest, she loved challenging Jane. This time too, she wasn't going to give up. ''Is that all you've got, detective?'' Maura teased._

_Jane sighed. ''You either hand me the remote now, or deal with the consequences of testing my patience, doctor.'' Jane took another step forward, their bodies now close that they almost touched._

_Maura bit her lip. ''And what are the consequences?'' Standing that close to Jane, sharing the same air and looking intensely at each other's eyes was almost too much for Maura. She was certain that if she didn't hand the remote now, her knees would fail her. She could hardly refrain from blushing, yet she didn't want their tiny battle to end. Although she loved snuggling up to Jane on the couch and resting her head on Jane's shoulder when Jane had her arm around her shoulder, Maura didn't really enjoy watching baseball games. She had never understood how people found it entertaining, but then again she never actually paid attention when she watched the games with Jane. Her mind was always occupied by the thoughts of the beautiful woman sitting next to her._

_Jane tightened her grip on Maura's hands as she pinned Maura against the wall, leaving only a few inches between them. ''You sure you want to see?'' Jane knew that this was out of the friendship boundaries, but she didn't care. She would get this far if it meant that she would get to see the Sox-Yankees game and besides, pinning Maura against a wall was something she had fantasized about many times before. So why not?_

_Maura blushed. She wasn't really expecting this reaction from Jane, but she wasn't complaining. She had imagined Jane pinning her against the wall before, but never thought it would actually happen. Craving for a longer moment, Maura just nodded._

_Jane's hands moved from Maura's wrists to her shoulders. Maura's breath caught in her throat as Jane's hands slowly moved downwards, trailing a path with her fingers. ''I have my ways of making people speak, y'know.'' Jane whispered in Maura's ear as her hands found Maura's waist. While holding Maura in place by lightly grabbing her right hip, Jane drew small circles on Maura's stomach with her other hand._

_Maura bit her lip to avoid a moan escaping her lips. ''Show me.''_

_''Oh, I will.'' Jane growled in a seductive tone. Her voice was huskier than ever and it only helped Maura's knees weaken. Jane nibbled in Maura's earlobe and Maura felt that familiar ache between her legs. Jane then grabbed the hem of Maura's shirt, slowly pulling it upwards. She put her hands on both sides on Maura's hips and gave a gentle squeeze, then slowly traced her fingers on Maura's yoga toned stomach and started drawing patterns. Jane moved her hands up and down, from slightly below Maura's breasts to the waistband of her skirt while continuing to suck on her earlobe. After a moment, Jane put her hands on both sides of Maura's waist as she lightly bit on her earlobe. Maura gasped and Jane smiled to herself. Her plan was working well. With a final swipe of her tongue to Maura's earlobe, she looked up to find Maura looking back at her in anticipation. Her face was red and Jane was certain that it was the most beautiful sight she had ever laid eyes on._

_Maura, meanwhile, was having a hard time breathing. So this was finally happening, she thought, grinning. _

_Much to Maura's surprise -or regret- Jane started to tickle Maura, ruthlessly. _

_Burying her face in Maura's neck, Jane tried her best to tickle Maura until she finally gave away the answer. She swiftly moved her fingers right under Maura's arms and Maura soon burst out in laughter and grabbed Jane's wrists. ''Jane! Stop!'' she begged between giggles. _

_''Will you tell me where the remote is?'' Jane looked into Maura's eyes. They were standing dangerously close, but none of them cared._

_Maura held Jane's gaze for a moment until she replied, ''Nope.'' Jane's move was indeed unexpected and torturous, but she wasn't backing down from the challenge._

_Jane dropped her hands from Maura's waist and crossed her arms on her chest. ''Excuse me?'' Frustrated was not even enough to describe Jane's situation. She had teased, tickled. Hell, even asked for the remote kindly before all this. Part of her was proud of Maura for not giving up, but part of her was annoyed because Maura could be stubborn as hell at times and the Red Sox game was about to start in five minutes._

_Maura giggled. ''I'm not telling you where the remote is, and you're not watching TV. Unless you're willing to watch documentaries!'' Maura said gleefully._

_''Eww Maur, no documentaries. Why won't you just let me watch the baseball game? Why do you not like baseball anyways, have you never seen a live one? They're much more fun to be honest, especially when your team is winning. You're gathered with a bunch of strangers, but at that moment they all feel like your family. You all cheer together and... Oh, wait a minute'' Jane paused. ''You've never seen a baseball game live, have you?''_

_Maura looked down in embarrassment. ''Well, I wasn't interested in sports at all, so...'' she sighed. ''No''_

_Jane placed her hand on Maura's cheek to make her look up at her. ''Look at me, Maur'' she tried. ''There's nothing to be ashamed of, or whatever, because you haven't seen one. So what? I have never been to a single Opera, Musical or a Ballet performance. I never liked those stuff. Not like I understood any of it. But that didn't make me any less of a badass.'' _

_Maura chuckled. She loved how Jane was always kind and supportive when it came to her. If she was not already madly in love with this stubborn detective, she definitely was now._

_''... and not seeing a baseball game doesn't make you a lame person, too. You're as wonderful as ever. And you know what? I'm going to take you to your first baseball game!'' Jane smiled._

_''Really? You don't have to-''_

_''Shh!'' Jane cut Maura off. ''It's decided. And I'm hungry''_

_''Chinese?''_

* * *

Maura smiled at the memory. It had been about a week, and she thought Jane wasn't serious about it. Apparently, she was.

''You busy?'' Jane asked.

''No, I'm not, why?'' Maura knew what Jane was going to ask, but she wanted to hear Jane to ask, anyway.

''Well... Red Sox is on tonight and I got our tickets already. I thought we'd go see it together, as I promised the week before. '' Jane smiled, hoping that the doctor would say yes. She did know that Maura didn't enjoy watching baseball, she also knew that Maura agreed to watch the games on TV only for her and now she may even see a live one with her. _Would this count as a date? _The thought made her feel giddy.

There it was. ''Are you asking me out on a date?'' Maura teased.

''No- I mean, well, yeah I guess.'' Jane said. _I wish! _Despite they had went out together many times before, Jane felt like a teenage girl asking her crush out for the first time. Well, she actually _was _asking her crush for the first time. ''It sounds like one, but we don't have to call it a date if it makes you uncomfortable.'' Jane blushed. _Okay Rizzoli, you're officially acting like a teenager now. _

Maura chuckled. ''I would love to see the game with you, but... I don't know what to wear.'' Maura frowned. She had never been to a sports game before, so she had no idea what people normally wore for those occasions. She felt nervous all of a sudden.

Jane looked at Maura blankly. ''Really? Well, you don't have to wear a fancy dress or put on a lot of make up, and I don't think you need it either-'' She paused. _Did I just say that out loud? Very smooth, Rizzoli._ ''And I don't think high heels would be comfortable, so... you could wear something sporty?''

Though Jane tried to cover what she had just said, Maura heard it very well and blushed at Jane's compliment. ''Oh, alright. What time does the game start?''

''At nine, so we still have about four hours. How about we both head home to prepare or whatever, then I pick you up at eight thirty?''

''Sounds great!''

It took Maura over three hours to pick her clothing and get dressed. Yes, she was nervous for she had no idea about the sports game dressing etiquette, but another reason was that this could count as her first official date with Jane Rizzoli. Not that they would have another one. Would they? Maura sighed. She had taken a shower, done her hair and applied a generous amount of make up and dressed up. She hoped that she wasn't over dressed, otherwise it would be rather unpleasant. Maura enjoyed dressing properly for any occasion, but she had no experience in sports games and Jane had only told her to wear something causal. She didn't know if heels and skirts counted as casual and in the end she had decided to wear pants. Though, she couldn't abandon the heels. She was just trying to calm herself down when she heard the doorbell ring.

It was half past eight when Jane finally made it out of her flat. She had taken a shower and dressed in a Red Sox jersey and jeans. Although the process would only take her about an hour, she had spent most of her time laying on her bed and thinking about earlier that day. She had actually asked Maura out for a date, hadn't she? _Well, nothing's going to happen, anyway. We're just going to see a baseball game and then head home. _

It was a ten minute drive to Maura's house and Jane was glad that she could make it there in time. She knocked the door and waited for a short while. When Maura opened the door Jane's breath caught in her throat. Maura was dressed in a simple red button up shirt with three buttons open, giving a pretty fine amount of cleavage, white tight pants that made her legs look simply amazing and four inch red heels. She had her hair held up in a ponytail and her clothing was way more casual than it usually was, but Maura still looked breathtakingly gorgeous.

''You look... pretty.'' Jane said. She found it difficult to form sentences, that woman in front of her was simply too distracting.

Maura blushed. ''Thank you. Shall we?'' Maura said as the two walked towards Jane's car.

Jane held out the door for Maura, as she often did, but this time Maura felt different. She always appreciated Jane's kind gesture, however, this time it only made her stomach feel... weird. What was it called, butterflies? Maura knew that it was impossible to have butterflies in one's stomach, but she wouldn't deny that it was exactly how she was feeling at the moment. They both sat down and rode to the Fenway Park. The ride was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. Both women were busy in their own thoughts.

The first half of the game had already passed, and honestly, Maura was really enjoying the game. She still didn't understand why people found it amusing to hit flying balls with a stick and then run after it, but she enjoyed the environment around -the cheering fans from all ages and a particular brunette- She was enjoying Jane's company the most. Her presence did make her happy, but Jane was also helping her out in figuring out the game. When there was an event Maura didn't understand, Jane explained it to her and it helped Maura a lot to figure the game out.

Jane was pretty glad, too. She was having a lot of fun watching the game with Maura and surprisingly, Maura wasn't complaining. Everything seemed perfectly fine.

That was until a kid sitting in the front row yelled: ''Kiss Cam!''

_Shit._ Jane hadn't thought about that. She suddenly felt her heart beating faster. _Calm down, Rizzoli. There are thousands of people watching the game, and probably hundreds of couples. Why would it be us? It's a really small chance. Besides, we're two women. Not like it's wrong or anything, but I don't think that the camera men would-_

Jane was popped out of her thoughts when she suddenly saw herself on the large screen- next to Maura.

_Oh fuck. This can't be happening._

She looked around. Everyone was staring at the two enthusiastically, shouting, ''Kiss, kiss, kiss!''

Jane then looked at Maura. She too, seemed shocked.

''Jane?'' Maura said. She could see Jane's face turn into a bright scarlet. She was nervous, but she wanted this to happen. Badly.

Jane gulped. ''Maura...'' she stopped as she felt Maura's lips on hers, softly pressing. _Is this even real? _

After her small shock Jane responded, kissing Maura back a little bit rougher. _Well, it's probably the only time I get to do this, so why not? _Jane ran her tongue along Maura's bottom lip, seeking entrance. Maura parted her mouth slightly, allowing Jane's tongue to explore. Their kiss got heated in a really short while, but they weren't complaining. As their tongues danced, sucking and exploring, Jane brought her hands up to cup Maura's cheeks and Maura tangled her hands in Jane's dark brown curls. Everyone in the crowd cheered as their kiss was being projected on the big screen, and they even got a few whistles from people sitting near by.

They were both breathless when they pulled away. Maura giggled as she saw Jane's face turn even more red. She gave Jane a genuine smile, silently telling her that everything was fine. _I hope she's okay with this. It felt wonderful, I have to admit. Her lips are softer than I had imagined. _Maura felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach again, but tried to calm herself down.

Jane, however, was still baffled by the kiss. She grinned widely before she turned her attention back to the game.

The two continued watching the baseball game in a comfortable silence, without mentioning the kiss they had just shared. Even though their eyes were on the field, both women were busy thinking about their kiss and how wonderful it felt.

And both wondered if it would happen ever again.

* * *

_That's it for the second chapter. Please review and let me know what you think! x_


	3. You Literally Make Me Wet

_Author's Note: Thanks for all the feedback. I'm very glad that you guys are liking this story. _**  
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* * *

''Janie, could you help me set the table?'' Angela asked while preparing the ingredients for her famous gnocchi.

''Ugh, Ma, I was just about to take Jo out for a walk. She's been sitting around whole day and we wouldn't want her to relieve her energy from Maura's furniture.'' Jane groaned as she put on her boots.

The Rizzoli matriarch, who was busy picking out the eggs and potatoes from the fridge, didn't reply. After looking around for a small while, she sighed, ''Uh oh.''

''What now, Ma?'' Jane asked as she fastened the collar on Jo's neck. ''Jo! Calm down, ugh!'' unfortunately for Jane, the dog was too eager to go outside after a long day of staying inside to sit still while her owner tried to put on her collar.

''Maura, honey, do you have some flour any other than whole wheat?'' Angela asked. Although she loved and really admired how Maura always ate healthy and only kept healthy products in her kitchen, aside from Jane's very unhealthy chips and movie snacks, she knew that whole wheat flour would most certainly ruin the taste of her gnocchi.

''No,'' Maura replied. ''Whole wheat flour is much more nutritious than white flour. White flour is being milled so that most of the germ and bran is being removed, leaving only the endosperm. This process removes about 80 percent of the nutrients that are present in whole wheat flour. Besides, because of its additional nutrients, whole wheat flour has more health benefits than white flour. The fiber present in the flour helps to keep the gastrointestinal tract functioning normally and may help prevent more serious problems such as colon cancer, diverticulosis, and hemorrhoids. Whole wheat flour may also reduce the risk for diabetes and coronary artery disease. It also contains healthy phytochemicals, including antioxidants, which may help ward off cancer and-''

''Thanks Google.'' Jane sighed. ''I don't think Ma gets any of that, Maur. How about I get some white flour while walking Jo?''

Angela nodded. ''That would be wonderful, thank you Jane.'' _Thank God for my Janie, she saved my gnocchi! _Angela mused.

Jane smiled and turned toward the door. Holding the leash of Jo's collar with one hand, Jane opened the door and sighed. ''Oh perfect, it's raining.'' Walking her energetic dog aside, another reason why she wanted to go out was to avoid her mother. Rather than helping with the housework Jane would prefer walking her dog. The rain didn't help her situation, though. Getting soaked was one thing, but trying to keep Jo from running in a mud puddle? That was a challenge.

As if she was reading her mind, Maura called, ''Hold on a second, Jane.'' She ran upstairs to her bedroom. Few minutes later she came back with a rain coat on, her high heels replaced with the bright yellow rain boots Jane had given her long ago. She walked toward the cabinet near the door and took out an umbrella. ''I'm coming with you!'' she smiled.

''What? Why?'' Jane asked. Though she would love to go for a walk with Maura, walking her dog was not very easy as it sounded like. Jo Friday was a living proof to the phrase _'size doesn't matter'_ as that tiny dog could do wonders when pulling her owner to a direction she desired to go. Jane really didn't want to deal with all that especially in front of Maura.

''You can't hold up an umbrella and walk Jo at once. Let me hold it up for you?'' Maura asked politely. She pulled _that _face on, the face she made whenever she asked something from the detective. Both women knew that it always worked.

''Fine. Thanks.'' Jane replied as she led Jo Friday out. Or Jo led Jane out, to be more precise. The dog ran outside and barked cheerfully. ''Hey, slow down, Jo!'' Jane yelled. They were just out of the house and the dog had already started running off. This was going to be difficult.

Maura giggled and held the umbrella up. It was large enough to provide comfortable space for both women, but the two still walked close to each other. They were walking carefully, trying not to slip. For some reason Jo was rather calm and Jane was definitely not complaining. After gathering enough courage Jane placed her left hand at the small of Maura's back. Despite the thick coat and the rest of her clothing, Maura felt incredibly warm all of a sudden, then the butterflies were back. She just smiled and tried to hold the umbrella up properly, her hand was shaking but she didn't care at all. She had the detective close to her and she was happy.

After picking up the flour from a nearby grocery, they decided to head home in order to arrive in time for the dinner. By then Jane grew more confident in her touches and grabbed Maura by the waist, bringing her even closer. Their shoulders now touched and Jane seemed oblivious to the effect it was having on Maura. They were walking in silence until Jane interrupted.

''Maura, you're hogging the umbrella.'' Jane complained. She loved having Maura close to her, but she didn't want to get caught in the rain.

''Am not!'' Maura protested. _It's your fault! _With Jane's arm around her, a strong yet gentle hand grabbing her waist, Maura couldn't function properly. She tried her best to hold the umbrella up straight but her hand was failing her.

''Yes, you are. Let me hold it before I get soaked.'' Even if that meant that she would have to move her hand from Maura, staying dry seemed more important right now. The least thing she would ever want would be to get her clothes wet right before a family dinner.

''I'm holding it properly Jane. You're standing too far from the umbrella.'' _Or rather, you're standing too far from me._

''Hey! I'm not! You're just-'' Jane's sentence was cut off when she lost her balance and slipped inside something. _Ouch! What the hell? _It took Jane a moment to register what had just happened. She had somehow slipped in her rain boots and fell inside a stinky mud puddle. She was sitting up and had her whole pants and boots covered in mud. _Then there I was, worrying about getting wet._ Jane groaned. ''Damn it! Maura, can you help me get up?'' She held her hand up, waiting for Maura's smaller yet softer ones. She looked up when she had no response.

Maura couldn't help but giggle. Despite her best efforts to keep herself from laughing, she finally burst out into laughter. She had tried countless of times to talk Jane into having a mud bath together... well, not _together_, even though Maura wished so. Earlier when Jane finally agreed they were interrupted by a murder, but it was nice. Maura really wanted to have another session but never got the time to ask. She also didn't know if Jane actually liked the idea of resting in mud. Now, though, it seemed like Jane was already into it! _Did I just make a joke? Yes! I believe I_ did! Maura smiled.

''Oh, so you think that's funny?'' Jane said. ''Help me up already!'' Jane whined, her hand still up in the air.

Still laughing, Maura grabbed Jane's hand to help her stand up. She was startled by a forceful grip on her hand. Suddenly, Jane pulled Maura down with all of her strength and succeeded. Maura gasped as she fell down on Jane's lap, her skirt and boots covered in mud as well. She would have screamed, not because that she's in a mud pool but her Burberry skirt was covered in dirt. Her mind was occupied though, she was sitting on Jane's lap and had one hand entwined with Jane's, the other curled around the detective's waist. The umbrella had fallen down on the road at her sudden panic, and Jo Friday was running and rolling around the mud, but Maura couldn't care less. They were sharing the same air now and Maura found herself lost in the detective's eyes.

All of a sudden Jane burst out into laughter. ''Now this is funny!'' She smirked.

Maura pinched Jane in the arm. ''Well played, detective'' she sighed. ''I loved this skirt.''

Jane flashed that smile, the smile that always made Maura's knees weak and said, ''Don't worry Maur, we can go to the dry cleaner's tomorrow and get it cleaned up.''

Maura returned the smile. They were startled when Jo Friday barked loudly as she continued jumping around in the mud.

''Wait, Jo! Ugh, damn it! Now we need to wash her!'' Jane groaned.

''_We_?'' Maura raised an eyebrow.

''Yes, we. It's all your fault, remember?'' Jane said as she got up. Holding her hand out to Maura, who was still sitting in the puddle and laughing. ''You distracted me.'' Jane mumbled. Maura really did distract her, Jane was doing her best to not to look at Maura when they were walking together. Then she lost her control and found herself drawn in Maura's pretty smile and then she was in the puddle. Yes, it was indeed Maura's fault.

Maura chuckled as she held Jane's hand and got up. ''I'll help you clean Jo Friday, just because I'm a nice person.''

Still holding Maura's hand, Jane replied ''And modest.''

They both giggled and continued on their way home.

''Oh my God! What happened to you two?!'' Angela gasped. ''Did you two roll in mud or something? Everyone will be here soon! Quick, take a shower and change!'' The Rizzoli matriarch shooed the girls out of the living room, ordering them to clean themselves up before the guests arrived.

''Geez, Ma. We were planning to spend the evening in our muddy clothes. Thanks for the clever piece of advice.'' Jane rolled her eyes as she kicked off her boots and grabbed Jo. ''She needs a bath first, right Maura?''

Maura sighed. ''Yeah. I'll help you.'' Maura led the way.

They went to the guest bathroom and placed Jo inside the tub. As Jane took out Jo's bathing sponge and shampoo out of a bag she asked, ''Can you pin Jo down? She doesn't really like baths and it would be much easier if you held her while I washed her.'' Jane hoped that Jo remained calm this time. Every single time when Jane tried to clean Jo she would get all hyper and get the whole bathroom, including her owner, soaked. Jane would get very embarrassed if it were to happen to Maura's bathroom.

Maura nodded and pinned Jo down in the tub as she was told. Jane turned the shower on and as she did, Jo started barking.

''I'm sorry Jo, but you need to get cleaned.'' Jane said as she squirted a handful of shampoo on Jo and started to rub off the mud. _I had expected the barking. Why can't she just keep her damn mouth shut? I would definitely enjoy being pinned down by Maura. _

Just when they thought it was going fine, Jo struggled to move and eventually broke free from Maura's grip. Luckily, the tub was too tall for Jo to jump out, but the dog still continued to try getting out, failing each time.

''Maura! Quick, grab her!'' Jane yelled. A soaked dog running around Maura's house and ruining the floor and the furniture? _Oh God, Jo, what am I going to do with you?_

Maura reached forward to catch Jo, but the dog was quick in her movements as she broke free yet again. Losing her balance, Maura fell inside the tub, grabbing Jane's arm in panic and bringing Jane down with her.

''Shit!'' Jane cursed. ''You okay?'' Her clothes were ruined for the second time that day, but she didn't really mind it. They were going to get washed anyway. Being in the same tub with Maura was something she had imagined before, but certainly not this way.

''I am,'' Maura giggled. ''Now I see why you always complained about giving Jo a bath!'' She smiled at Jane. Just like her owner, the dog was an energetic troublemaker, but Maura was not complaining. She loved Jane for all of her troubles. It surprised her that she didn't even slightly care about her clothes now. Being with Jane made her forget about anything else. It was just _them_.

Jane laughed. ''She can be such a pain in the ass sometimes. I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, though. This is the second time today that I've destroyed your clothes.'' She looked down shyly.

''It's alright, really. On the bright side, Jo is all clean now.'' Maura smiled.

''She is. I love how optimistic you are,'' Jane replied, saying the last part in a lower tone as she cupped a handful of bubble. ''How about you?''

Maura felt herself blush. ''Jane, what are you-'' Maura was cut off by Jane's hands on her face, rubbing off the dirt on her cheeks. Maura grinned but couldn't help stating, ''That's dog shampoo.''

''Shampoo is shampoo. Besides, it's not. It's mine, I couldn't find Jo's.'' Jane smirked. ''It smells better anyway.'' She said as she got up and stepped outside of the tub, holding her hand out for Maura.

''Oh.'' _I had noticed the familiar scent of vanilla and lavender. _She also got up and held Jane's hand as support. She didn't let go until they were out of the bathroom.

''Yeah. We should probably get out and get ready for dinner.'' Jane smiled. ''Ma would kill us if we arrive late at the family dinner!''

Maura giggled. ''True. It was a nice experience to bathe with a dog.'' _It was even nicer to bathe with you, even though we had our clothes on. _Maura's heartbeat sped up as she recalled the memories. How she was sat on the detective's lap, so close that their noses were nearly touching. Or in the bath, Jane's clothes were clung to her figure and even though she was soaked _and _covered in mud, she looked absolutely beautiful.

Jane leaned in and pressed a kiss on Maura's cheek. ''I'm glad. Now go and get dressed, I'm not done with Jo yet.'' Jane didn't know what had gotten inside of her when she kissed Maura. She had just felt like it, it was more like an instinct. It felt so right. She loved how soft Maura's skin was, and the immediate blush on her skin was noticeable. Jane grinned to herself.

Maura froze when she felt Jane's lips on her cheek. She just nodded and smiled as she walked upstairs to her room.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated!_


	4. Let's Be Sick Together

After a ten minute drive to Maura's house, Jane parked her car on Maura's driveway and hastily rushed out. She pulled out the keys to Maura's door and after struggling for a while with her shaking hands, she barged in.

Jane looked around to see an empty living room. It was eerily quiet, the only sound being the heavy footsteps of the tortoise.

''Maura?'' Jane yelled. No sound. _She must be in her bedroom_, Jane thought as she ran upstairs.

* * *

_Jane knocked on the door before walking into the morgue. ''Hey Maura, the guys and I are going to the Robber to celebrate our recently solved case and I was wondering if you wanted to-''_

_The sight in front of her was not pleasing at all. She saw a Doctor Pike mumbling some words to the recorder in his hand. _

''_Detective Rizzoli, I would very much appreciate it if you didn't interrupt my recordings. As you can see, I'm busy doing my job and you should be doing yours, too.'' Pike grunted. _

''_Shut the fuck up, Pike. Where's Maura?'' Jane hated this guy. How could a person be this annoying? And she had thought that her mother was the worst. Pike simply had this special talent of making people dislike him very quickly._

''_I believe our Chief Medical Examiner is currently sitting on her lazy ass and relaxing at home when she is supposed to be working, Detective. May I help you with anything?''_

_Jane sighed. She knew something was up, Maura would never leave her job only to sit at home. She would have beat the hell out of Pike for making rude comments of his boss, Maura, but she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see the Senior Criminalist Susie Chang._

''_Excuse me, Detective Rizzoli. Doctor Isles called in sick this morning, she told me not to tell anyone...but I just did, didn't I...'' Susie's eyes filled with fear. ''I'm not in trouble, right?'' Susie asked nervously. Detective Rizzoli, although she seemed to be kind and friendly around Doctor Isles, scared her. Her attitude and coldness often made her seem intimidating, but Susie hoped that maybe some day they could get along well._

_Jane suddenly felt dizzy. How could Maura not tell her? ''No, Susie, you're fine. Thanks for telling.'' Jane said as she rushed out of the morgue._

_She ran into the squad room and quickly gathered her belongings. She put on her jacket and handed Frost the case files. She had no time to explain._

''_I gotta go, see you all later!'' Jane yelled as she ran out. _

_She got in her car and started to drive to Maura's as fast as she could._

* * *

Maura heard a soft knock on her door.

''Jane?'' She whispered, her voice weak and sore. She slowly opened her eyes, which surprisingly hurt. She was feeling weak and had no energy to do anything at all, but she was more than happy to see her best friend.

Jane quietly stepped inside the room and her heart sank to the sight in front of her.

Maura lay on her bed, tucked inside the covers with a box of tissues nearby. She looked so pale and so… broken. Her hair looked messier than usual, yet still perfect. She had no make up on, which was one of the rare times, and her freckles were visible. _Get a hold of yourself now, Rizzoli, this isn't the right time to think about how adorable she looks when she doesn't use make up to cover her cute freckles. Damn she's pretty._ Aside from the bed covers, she also had a blanket on, and a long sleeved BPD hoodie Jane had given her months ago. Jane smiled to herself, she loved seeing Maura in her clothes.

Jane took some steps forward and knelt beside the bed. She cupped Maura's cheeks with her hands and tucked a few strands of golden hair behind Maura's ear. ''You alright?'' Jane whispered.

Maura nodded. ''You didn't have to come,'' she whispered. Her voice was sore and it hurt to speak.

''Of course I did! Why didn't you tell me?'' Jane felt slightly angry. They were best friends! You're supposed to tell your best friend when you're ill.

''I didn't want to burden you, Jane, I'm sorry to keep you from working,'' Maura frowned.

Ah. So that was the reason. Jane's heart sank. How could Maura be a burden to her? ''What do you mean you _didn't want to burden _me? I _want _to take care of you.'' Jane smiled.

''Thank you,'' Maura returned the smile. ''It appears that I've got influenza, I'm just feeling tired and there's nothing to worry about. I should be fine in a few days.'' She said as she put her head back down on her pillow and closed her eyes.

Jane couldn't help but chuckle.

''What?'' Maura asked, cracking an eye open.

''It's just… you're a _doctor. _'' Jane laughed again as Maura playfully swatted her arm.

''I'm glad you found this amusing, Detective. I'll let you know, I'm human too, Jane. I can get ill like any other human being.'' Maura pouted.

''No, you're a cyborg,'' Jane's joke earned her another swat on her arm. ''Admit it, it's a bit ironic that a doctor getting ill, isn't it? Anyways, don't worry, my Ma's chicken soup will make you feel better in no time!'' She remembered the times when her mother would prepare her famous chicken soup whenever a family member was ill. It was better than any medicine.

Panic was evident on Maura's face. ''Please don't tell Angela, Jane. This is nothing serious, I don't want her to worry.'' The last thing Maura wanted was to have Angela worrying about her. Keeping one Rizzoli from work was enough.

Jane sighed. ''Alright, Maur. I won't tell her, but I'll be your caretaker for until you feel better, okay?'' Without waiting for a reply, Jane got up and turned to walk out of the room. ''I'll be right back.''

Some ten minutes later Jane returned with a tray in her hands. On the tray there was a bowl of soup, a cup and a glass, accompanied with some pills and syrup. She sat on the bed beside Maura as she placed the tray on the nearby table.

''I brought you something to eat,'' Jane began as she placed the cups and silverware on the table. ''I made soup, well, not as good as Ma's but...'' She stopped as she felt Maura's hand on her arm.

''It was very nice of you, Jane. It smells wonderful too, thank you.'' Maura smiled. Her heart warmed at Jane's kind gesture. She loved this affectionate and nice side. _As selfish as it sounds, if Jane's going to take care of me like this and stay by me all the time I wouldn't mind getting ill.__  
_

''Thanks. I also brought you a glass of water and made you some tea, uh, the panda poop flavored one.'' Jane smiled nervously.

Maura grinned widely. ''Thank you so much, Jane,'' She whispered as she took Jane's hand between hers. ''However, you're bothering too much. Why don't you rest a bit? I have some of your clothes in the bottom drawer.'' She hoped that Jane would spend the night at Maura's. Perhaps they wouldn't share the same bed, but the thought of having Jane inside the building made Maura happy anyway.

Jane nodded and got up. She took a BPD shirt and yoga pants from the drawer and went to the bathroom. After changing her clothes, she sat on her side of the bed beside Maura and pulled the covers up.

Maura sat up and looked at Jane in confusion.

''What?'' Jane asked as she scooted closer to Maura.

''I'm ill.'' Maura reasoned. _Sharing a bed with a patient doesn't result well, everyone knows that. What is she doing?_

''And I'm here to take care of you.'' Jane smiled.

''You could get ill if you stand close to me,'' Maura frowned. ''Go sleep in the guest bedroom.'' Though part of Maura wished that Jane would sleep next to her, she never wanted Jane to catch her flu. She loved feeling Jane's warmth next to her, but getting Jane ill when Jane was already doing too much and taking care of her? _Jane's too kind._

''Maura,'' Jane put her hand on Maura's. ''How am I supposed to take care of you when I'm not near you? What if you suddenly feel terrible and try calling my name but I don't wake up? I'm staying here with you.'' If she got ill, she didn't care. She was going to stay by Maura no matter what.

Maura sighed. She knew there was no way of convincing a stubborn Jane Rizzoli. ''Fine.'' She exhaled as she laid back on the bed.

''Comfortable?'' Jane asked.

''Very much.'' Maura yawned.

''Alright, sleepyhead, have some rest. I'll be here if you need me.''

''Okay.''

It didn't take much until Maura was asleep. Jane, however, couldn't. She watched Maura sleep instead, mesmerized by how beautiful Maura looked even when she was ill.

Although she tried to resist closing her eyes to look after Maura, she soon drifted into sleep.

Jane woke up with a terrible headache. It took her a while to realize where she was. She looked down at her friend sleeping peacefully next to her. They were closer than how they were the day before, but Jane didn't mind. Maura had abandoned her pillow and rested her head on Jane's chest instead, her arm slung loosely around the Detective's waist.

It didn't take a doctor to know that spending a night with a flu patient would make her ill, too, but Jane didn't mind. It made a perfect excuse to stay with Maura and look after her.

''Good morning.'' She heard Maura whisper.

Maura yawned as she opened her eyes, but she had no intention of moving from her comfortable laying spot- neither had Jane.

''Good morning,'' Jane replied. ''Did you sleep well?''

''I slept wonderfully. I also had a very comfortable pillow.''

Jane froze. _Is Maura flirting? No, she's just being kind as usual, right? _Jane groaned internally.

She fought the urge to ask Maura what she meant, and instead she brought her hand to Maura's cheek and caressed gently. ''I'm glad. You feeling better?''

''I'm feeling really great. Thank you for staying with me, Jane. It was so kind of you to look after me, without you I'm sure I would still be aching. I feel like I'm ready to work now.'' Maura smiled.

''Hey, it's no big deal. I would stay to look after you at any time. Besides, I… ah,'' Jane swiftly crawled out of Maura's embrace and quickly grabbed a tissue from the box, bringing it up to cover her face. ''Ah… choo!... Oh, fuck.'' Jane groaned.

''Oh Jane, I'm sorry-''

''Don't be. You didn't order your flu bacteria to conquer me, eh? I knew this would happen.'' Jane wiped her nose, curled the tissue in a ball and threw it to the bin standing a few feet away. The tissue ball flew inside the bin and Jane pumped her fist in the air. ''Yes!''

Maura chuckled. ''It's decided, then. I'm your caretaker today!''

''No, Maur, you still haven't recovered completely. You're staying in bed with me.'' In any other circumstance, Jane would have blushed at her sentence, but now, Jane was too tired to feel embarrassed for her wrong choice of words.

''Fine, then, I'm calling Angela.''

Jane just groaned. Although she didn't want her mother getting all worried and crazy, she knew it would be better for them to heal faster.

After calling Angela and letting her know about the situation, Maura laid back on the bed and shivered.

''What's wrong?'' Jane asked.

''Nothing, I… I'm just feeling a little bit cold.'' Maura looked down.

''Oh, is that so? Weren't you saying that you were feeling much better and ready to work?'' Jane teased.

''I was!...Until now.'' Maura pouted as she threw a used tissue at Jane.

''Hey! Don't you throw your snotty tissues at me! They're covered in germs and stuff, eww.'' Jane said and threw a tissue back at Maura.

''You're covered in germs, too!'' Maura chuckled and threw yet another tissue back at Jane.

They continued their tissue- ball fight until they heard a knock on the door. Angela Rizzoli soon dashed in, with a slightly angry look on her face.

''Jane Rizzoli! What did you do to Maura?''

''Me? She was ill when I got here! Then I took good care of her! See, yesterday she wasn't even able to get up from the bed and now she's throwing tissues at me!'' Jane pouted.

Unfortunately for Jane, Maura's sudden sneeze didn't help her statement.

''Yes, Janie, I can see how well you took care of my baby!'' Angela snapped. ''I'm preparing some chicken soup, now have some rest, you two!'' She said and walked out of the room.

''Ugh!'' Jane groaned as she laid on her back. Her mother was one crazy woman. How on earth could she blame Jane for getting Maura ill? It was the other way around, but Jane was definitely not complaining. Spending a whole day with Maura was totally worth being ill.

Maura laughed. ''I'm sorry, Jane, but I can tell you that you took really good care of me.'' She smiled.

''Yeah? Tell that to Ma, then,'' Jane sighed.

Maura sneezed yet again. ''Well, I'm still feeling horrible, though. This headache won't go away.'' She frowned.

''Hey, I'm feeling awful, too. But I'm here with you, so why don't we just be sick together?'' Jane smiled.

''That would be nice,'' Maura chuckled as she laid down on the bed and turned her back to Jane. ''Um, Jane? Would you… hold me, please?'' She asked shyly.

Jane then scooted closer to Maura and pressed her body to Maura's back, curling her arms around Maura's waist and nuzzling her shoulder. ''Like this?''

Maura smiled. ''Yes, thank you.''

''Anytime, Maur.'' Jane whispered as she hugged Maura tighter. They both soon drifted into sleep.

* * *

_Reviews are really appreciated! _


	5. I Wasn't Expecting This

_**A/N: **__Behold, you're viewing Chapter Rizzles! _

_No smut in this chapter, or the rest of the story as I have planned. Instead, here's some lots and lots of fluff! _

**This chapter is set in Winter, for your information. **_I know it's rather strange to write about Wintertime during summer, but perhaps this may help you chill a bit and_ _remind you of those colder winter moments when your clothes have melted to your skin in the heat of June..__. Anyways, let's begin!_

* * *

Winter in Boston can be miserable.

Nights draw in early, the traffic piles up, public transport becomes more crowded and stuffier and malls get unbearably loaded with people rushing and shopping for their beloved ones.

Luckily for Jane and Maura, neither of them had to deal with it this year. Angela and Frankie Rizzoli were already on their way to the shopping mall, probably stuck in the traffic jam, to buy some last minute presents for their friends and family.

Meanwhile, Jane and Maura were decorating the Christmas tree as Tommy and Lydia were playing games with TJ in the guest bedroom.

As Jane put up the final remaining tree ornament, she took a step back to appreciate their work. The tree looked wonderful. It was about eight feet tall, decorated with lots and lots of shiny ornaments colored in red, green and gold. Accompanied by bright white tree lights and candy canes, their Christmas tree was absolutely mesmerizing.

''It's almost done,'' Jane said as she knelt down and picked up a golden star from the cardboard box. The star was covered in glitter and sparkled beautifully, perfectly matching with the tree's lights and ornaments. ''We just gotta add the star.'' She smiled and handed it to Maura.

''I'll bring the ladder,'' Maura said and gasped as she felt Jane's arm grab her waist. ''Oh!'' Jane held Maura carefully, elevating her up high enough to reach the top of the tree. Jane liked how Maura felt in her arms, but she would never admit that out loud.

Curling one arm around Jane's neck, Maura reached for the top of the tree with her other arm and placed the star.

Jane then put Maura down, her hands still around Maura's waist. Maura didn't move either, she was now standing in front of Jane with both her arms around the detective's neck.

''Thank you.'' Maura smiled warmly.

Jane fought the urge to kiss Maura. They were standing inches apart now, sharing the same air, staring intensely at each other's eyes. Instead, Jane just nodded.

They suddenly heard Tommy yell from the guest bedroom. ''Maura, Janie, we're going out for a snowball fight, you guys coming?''

''Yeah, in a minute!'' Jane turned around and yelled back. She then planted a quick peck on Maura's cheek before walking to the door and grabbing her winter coat. ''C'mon, Maur.''

Maura blushed. Luckily for her, Jane was standing too far to notice. She nodded and walked towards the stairs, stopping before saying, ''I need to get my boots and coat first.''

''Okay, we'll wait.'' Jane said as Tommy walked into the living room with Lydia right behind him, holding TJ up in her arms. They were all dressed up already and Maura came back few moments later, fully clothed for the cold Boston weather. Well, maybe a bit too clothed. Apart from her expensive, fuzzy winter coat and boots, she also had a thick scarf, mittens, ear puffs _and_ a hat.

Jane opened the door for them, and Lydia was the first one to rush out eagerly. ''Look, TJ! It's snowing!'' Tommy soon followed.

''Well, no shit, Lydia'' Jane muttered as she rolled her eyes. ''You look cute with mittens and ear puffs,'' Jane grinned. She then added, to regain her badass posture, ''I wore them too, like when I was like five.''

''They're very comfortable!'' Maura swatted Jane's arm as they walked out. ''They keep me warm!''

Tommy, standing far away from the girls in the snow covered garden with Lydia and TJ nearby, yelled, ''Hey Janie, Maura, up for a snowball fight? It's me, Lydia and TJ versus you girls!''

''It's not fair, you're three people!'' Jane pouted. Honestly, she knew she was capable of taking all three of them down all by herself, but now that Maura was also their target, she needed to be extra alert and fast, she wouldn't let them hurt Maura even though this was just a friendly snowball fight.

''TJ's a kid, he doesn't count! He's just helping us.'' Tommy smirked, knowing that he had won the argument.

''We'll get you anyway!'' Jane bent down and picked up a pile of snow, rolled it between her hands and grinned smugly. ''You ready, Doctor Isles?''

Maura's eyes widened in horror. ''I… I have never had a snowball fight before and-''

Maura was cut off by the hard snowball hitting her shoulder. She brought her hand up and rubbed the area that got hit. She knew it wouldn't bruise or anything, but it hit her by shock and the snowball was pretty hard too, so it hurt. She doubted that she could keep up with the game for long, but she had Jane. She knew Jane would be there for her.

''Ow!'' Maura hissed as Tommy burst out in laughter.

''Hey Tommy! Why don't you attack someone in your league?'' Jane yelled back as she threw the snowball in her hands at Tommy.

The snowball hit Tommy right in the stomach and Tommy dropped on his knees, his hands covering where the snowball hit him. ''Shit! Jane, have some mercy! Crap, that hurt!'' It really did. Perhaps it cost him his manliness, but getting Jane annoyed was worth doing anything.

TJ took the opportunity of his father kneeling beside him and quickly jumped on Tommy's back. ''Pony daddy!'' He laughed.

Jane turned around to face Maura. ''You okay?'' She smiled as she put her hands on Maura's arms.

''I'm fine. I was just not expecting it, that's all.'' Maura returned the smile.

''Great! Then let's beat the shit out of them!'' Jane grinned and bent down to make more snowballs. ''Help me prepare some snowballs so we can show them who's the boss!''

Maura knelt down beside Jane and helped her make the snowballs. After a while, Jane looked up to see no one else around. She poked Maura and whispered, ''Maur, they're gone. They're probably trying to ambush us by coming from behind. But you know what? We're going to ambush _them_!''

Jane got up and picked the snowballs. Some in her hands and some in her pockets, she looked around one last time before walking around. ''Maur, c'mon, get up.''

Maura got up and followed Jane around the large garden. Tommy and his crew were nowhere to be found, so the girls decided to hide behind a tree and wait for them to arrive. After a while, Jane lost her patience and sighed. ''This is ridiculous. I know Tommy, and believe me, he's even less patient than I am. He should be out looking for us by now!'' She huffed. ''That's it, I'm going to find him and beat him! Maura, you stay here. I'll call for you if I need back up.''

Maura nodded. ''Okay. I never knew that snowball fights could get this serious. We're not going after a criminal or anything.'' Maura had never had a snowball fight before, so she wouldn't know if things usually got this far. Though their current situation reminded her of her job, or rather, _Jane's _job at times when she had to go to dangerous places to chase a suspect. _Perhaps this is why she enjoys having snowball fights_, Maura mused.

''No, but we're going after _Tommy_.'' Jane smirked. ''That's not much of a difference. Besides, during snowball fights he can be as dangerous as an actual one. Watch out while I'm gone, okay?'' She placed her hands on Maura's arms and gave a gentle squeeze before letting go.

''Sure, Jane. Be careful. Break a leg!... Is that how you say it? Well, don't break _your _leg or _anyone's _leg, that wouldn't be nice. Although I don't get why people say this to each other to wish them luck, it occurred to me that-'' Maura was silenced by Jane's finger on her lips.

''I will be careful, Maura. You watch out, too. If they approach, yell as loud as you can and I'll be here.'' She smiled. Jane slowly walked around as quietly as she could. She decided to take a lap around the house, as they could be hiding at the other side of the garden and she tried to listen to hear their voices. There were none. Surprisingly, even the three year old TJ was quiet.

Jane froze at the sight in front of her. A two foot high snow fort stood not far away from her, with Tommy, Lydia and TJ behind, holding snowballs in both of their hands, their eyes on Jane.

''Janie, what took you so long?'' Tommy smirked. ''You're ours now! Guys, attack!''

''Oh, fuck.'' Jane gasped. How could she fall into Tommy's trap? She started to run as fast as she could, trying not to trip over and break her bones. She sprinted swiftly and dodged all the snowballs thrown at her way. She looked back and saw Lydia and Tommy running after her. TJ was struggling to catch up, but he did run pretty fast for his age and tiny feet.

''Maura! Hide, now!'' Jane yelled, but Maura was already shocked at seeing Jane running from Tommy and Lydia.

When reached the 'safe' tree, Jane tried to slow down and stop, but the snow was too slippery for her to do so. In less than a heartbeat she found herself tackling Maura and bringing her down with her.

''Crap, sorry'' Jane said as she struggled to get up. She was literally straddling Maura, and she was glad that her face was already red from the cold.

She heard Tommy yell from behind, ''You're lucky, Jane. TJ fell down. Lydia and I are going inside now to take care of him. Next time, I won't let you go so easily!'' Jane rolled her eyes.

She would have taken the opportunity of an injured TJ, as cruel of an aunt as it sounds, she would have ran right after Tommy and showered him in snowballs. Straddling Maura though, it made Jane's mind go blank. She was sitting on top of Maura, knees on either side of Maura's hips and she was leaning forward slightly. Her hands were placed on both sides of Maura's head, propping her up. They were lost in each other's gaze, until Maura broke the silence.

''Uh, what? It's fine, what happened?'' Maura asked as she laid still on the soft snow.

''Tommy got me,'' Jane sighed. ''They built a damn fort, Maura, and they were waiting for me to come so they could take me down!'' Jane had to admit, it was very clever of Tommy to do such thing. Jane would never have thought of building a fort and waiting for her target to come to her. Tommy was a smart kid after all, he had made dumb choices, but he was smart. His intelligence did wonders in chess, basketball and especially snowball fights. She would ask for a rematch later.

Maura giggled. ''Well, you're down now.''

Jane smiled shyly. ''No, I fell for you.'' Jane said and looked down at Maura. _Tell her, Rizzoli. It's now or never._ Seeing the confused look on Maura's face, she continued, ''Uh, Maura, I _actually_ fell for you. I… I love you, Maura.'' She dipped her head lower and captured Maura's lips in a heated kiss.

It didn't take long for Maura to process the words Jane had confessed and respond to the kiss. She cupped Jane's cheek with her hands and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

Jane pulled back after a moment and planted a soft kiss on Maura's nose. She got up and offered her hand to help Maura up.

Maura raised her eyebrows. ''I'm thinking you owe me an explanation, Detective?'' She asked as she reached for Jane's hand.

Holding both of Maura's hands, Jane sighed. ''I do love you. Not just as a friend, Maura, I'm _in love _with you. For a pretty long while, actually. I was just afraid… afraid of how it would result. I was scared of losing you so I never said anything. I know you're thinking, why here and why now, and well, I just couldn't hold myself anymore… and well, being on top of you helped a bit, too.'' Jane blushed.

Maura chuckled. ''Well then, I'm glad you fell on me,'' She took a deep breath and exhaled before continuing. ''I love you, too.'' _Finally._ She had had suspicions, that maybe, just maybe Jane returned the feelings. They flirted often, spent lots of time together, acted like typical couple in fact, that some guys at the BPD had actually thought that they were actually together. She had felt these feelings for Jane since the day Jane had shot herself. At that moment Maura knew that she couldn't live without Jane. By the time passed she slowly realised that the things she felt weren't just fear or admiration or adoration. She was in love with Jane, she was certain. She never had any friends before her, but she knew that they were always more than just friends. They were something special. The way Jane always acted softer around her, how she let all her guards down with Maura, how she protected her and believed in her. How Jane accepted Maura the way she was, with all her quirks and flaws. She never expected Maura to change herself. She embraced Maura's flaws. She made Maura feel special. Maura had never felt so loved before. Jane had given her all she could ever have wanted from life. Love. A family. Happiness.

And now, Jane was _fully_ hers.

Jane felt like her heart skipped a beat. ''You… do? Really?'' Jane couldn't believe her ears. Was she dreaming? The woman she loves madly had just told her that she loved her back? This was too good to be true, but then again, _Maura _was too good to be true.

''Yes, Jane. I love you. You don't believe me?'' Maura tilted her head. Why was Jane questioning it? _Didn't I just confide in her?_

''Yes. No. I mean… I know you can't lie and I can't even tell you how damn happy I am that my feelings are returned, but… you sure?''

Maura didn't reply, instead, she pressed her lips against Jane's. It wasn't just a simple kiss. It was full of love and promise. Jane felt her knees weaken. She put her arms around Maura's waist and held onto her, otherwise she knew her legs would fail her.

Maura pulled back to reply, ''Does this convince you, Detective?'' She smirked.

''Very much.'' Jane grinned and placed a kiss on Maura's forehead. She stepped back and held Maura's mitten clad hands. ''Let's go inside? I'm freezing.''

In any other circumstance Maura would have told that she was just cold, for in order to actually be freezing, the temperature must be much colder, but she was too happy to ruin their moment with her '_googlemouthing' _as Jane called it. Maura just nodded as they started to walk to the front door, holding hands and grinning like lovesick fools.

When they got inside, Angela and Frankie were already there. Frankie and Tommy were sitting on the couch, watching a baseball game and Lydia was playing games with TJ. Angela Rizzoli was already at the kitchen, picking the ingredients for her famous cinnamon cookies.

''Hello Janie! Maura!'' Angela smiled brightly at the two women. She noticed their locked hands, but didn't ask. She kept a mental note though, she would be her nosy self later.

''Hey, Ma.'' Jane smiled. ''Oh my God, you making cookies?'' Jane asked cheerfully as she ran into the kitchen.

''I was about to, but I'm kind of exhausted after spending hours of shopping!'' Angela sighed.

Frankie yelled from the couch, ''_You're_ exhausted? _I _was the one who carried all the bags when you ran from a store to another!'' He was now resting with a bottle of beer in his one hand, next to Tommy, watching a basketball game.

''It was tiring, okay? Janie, would you mind baking the cookies? You had done this many times before.'' Angela Rizzoli begged. Even though Frankie was complaining about following her in the mall with bags in his hands, picking presents for the whole family and running around from a shop to another one was tiring enough. She loved baking, especially for her family, but she really had no energy. She was getting old after all, she did need some rest.

''But they're never as good as yours!'' Jane pouted. She could cook, but her mother was simply gifted in kitchen. Anything she would prepare always tasted incredible and there was no way that Jane's cookies could ever compete with her mother's. She wouldn't want to risk burning Maura's house down, anyway.

Angela then pulled her best puppy look, which, always convinced her children -or anyone else- to do anything she asked.

''Fine!'' Jane grunted. ''Maura, you're helping me.'' She said as she walked to the kitchen, pouring the ingredients inside the bowl. ''Ma has already baked a batch but it wouldn't be enough. We're decorating these and making another one.'' She gave the orders.

''I would love to!'' Maura clapped her hands and put on her apron. ''Where do we start?'' Unlike Jane, she was very eager to learn yet another Rizzoli family recipe. She also really enjoyed cooking, she had helped Angela cook in the kitchen many times before. Helping Jane would be fun, too.

Jane took out the tray from the oven and moaned at the smell of the fresh cookies. ''Mmmh, oh, God, these smell wonderful!'' She turned around to see Maura in her pink checkered apron, which only made Maura look more adorable than ever. She leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. ''You look cute.''

Maura blushed slightly at the sound Jane had just made. The soft kiss and the compliment only made her situation worse. She smiled, ''Do I get to decorate them?'' She asked cheerfully. She remembered decorating the cookies as a child. When her parents were away, she would prepare cookies with her caretaker and decorate them. She was eager to experience a childhood memory yet again.

''Umm, have you got any sprinkles and stuff?'' Jane asked as she looked around the shelves.

Maura nodded. ''That shelf up over there, it's full of cake and pastry decorations.''

''Yay!'' Jane grinned and looked inside the shelf. ''Holy shit, look at all these!'' Jane picked out some from the shelf and put them down on the counter. ''Frostings and chocolate chips, awesome!'' She promised herself not to use all the sprinkles on the cookies. They probably costed a fortune _and _tasted delicious.

Maura smiled. It was endearing how Jane could get so excited like a five year old kid when it came to cookies.

''Whipped cream, check. Fruit frosting, check. M&M's, check. Rainbow colored sprinkles, check! This is going to be wonderful!'' Jane said as she started to decorate the cookies, each in different colors.

Jane felt her mouth watering. She couldn't help herself anymore, no one could after seeing those cookies. She grabbed one and shoved it in her mouth, eating it at one bite. ''Mmmmffh,'' Jane moaned. ''This is delicious!''

''I'm glad you like them, Jane, but they're for tomorrow's dinner-Jane!'' Maura stared at Jane in shock as Jane shoved another cookie in her mouth, eating it as fast as she did with the first one, then grabbing yet another.

''Mmff, Maura, but they are delicious!'' Jane said as she grabbed a handful of cookies and started eating them one by one. This was exactly the reason why she had been nicknamed '_Rolli Polli Rizzoli'_. She could never resist her mother's freshly baked christmas cookies and ate lots and lots of them. She regretted it in the morning, but the same routine seemed to happen every year.

''Jane! What about our guests?'' Maura gasped and took the cookies in Jane's hands, placing them back on the tray.

''It's for their own sake!'' Jane frowned. ''I was just making sure they were edible! So they don't get a stomachache or something, y'know...''

Maura rolled her eyes. ''That's very thoughtful of you, however, I wouldn't want you to get a stomachache or something, y'know.'' Maura mocked.

''Did you just roll your eyes and make fun of me, Doctor Isles?'' Jane asked in disbelief. ''You're becoming me!'' She chuckled as she took the whipped cream bottle and squeezed some on Maura's nose.

''Jane!'' Maura gasped. ''I believe I just did, and did you just squeeze whipped cream on my nose?''

''I believe I just did.'' Jane smirked. ''Want me to lick it off?''

Maura froze and blushed. ''I… umm-'' She stopped as Jane's lips found her nose. After a soft kiss, Jane ran her tongue along Maura's nose, slowly licking the cream off. Jane pulled back and saw Maura's face a deep red color.

Jane chuckled and whispered in Maura's ear, ''I'm not done with you and the whipped cream yet.'' Jane winked and walked to the living room, joining to her brothers Tommy and Frankie watching the basketball game.

Maura stood there for a while, cheeks flushed, her breathing shallow. She reminded herself to keep calm, but she would definitely make Jane pay for this later.

''Oh, the cookies are done!'' Angela said cheerfully as she walked in the kitchen. ''Thank you for helping me out, Maura! I also had something to tell you.''

''You're welcome, Angela. What was it?''

''Well, I know I should have asked you first, but your Mother, Constance had called me earlier today, and I… I invited your parents to our Christmas dinner tomorrow.'' Angela said. ''I hope that's okay with you, sweetheart. They already got their plane tickets. They're flying to Boston tomorrow morning.''

Maura's stomach fell. ''What?'' Was all she could say. She hadn't talked to her parents for a pretty long while, months, in fact. How and why were their parents coming to Boston, anyway? She sighed. ''It's… It's great, Angela. Thank you.'' She forced a smile.

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_Reviews are appreciated, really, they encourage me to write more. _


	6. With Love and Happiness

_Author's Note: I'm so sorry that this took me weeks to post. I have been dealing with some internet issues for the past two weeks and that provided me enough time span to fix the errors in my previous chapters and write a new one. _

_Now, if you've started reading this story earlier and have been following, I suggest that you should read it from the beginning. Not only that you may have forgotten the previous chapters, as my last update was ages ago, I have also made some major changes and it kind of changed the story a bit. I added some more sentences, removed some, added more words, improved grammar and fixed mistakes etc. It's all better now._

_That's all I've gotta say. Thank you all for your kind reviews and all the feedback. I'm flattered. Now, I plan to update the story at least once a week, but I can't make any promises. I have already got the next two chapters written, I'll post them when I can._

_Enjoy_

* * *

Jane sat on the dinner table next to Maura, subconsciously rubbing the scars on her palms. She felt Maura's hands clasping her own, gently pulling it to her lap. Jane relaxed as Maura started massaging Jane's left hand with care. Jane loved how Maura knew exactly what Jane needed. She leaned in and kissed Maura in the cheek, smiling softly. Her smile only grew to reveal a twin set of dimples when Maura turned her face to meet Jane's, returning the smile warmly.

They had been sitting for a while now. All the guests had arrived in time for the traditional Rizzoli Christmas family dinner, but this time, including Constance Isles. It was the first time she had arrived in Boston in almost two years and Maura had yet to know why she had chosen this day, Christmas to show up in her life again. Maura knew that she was supposed to feel happy to see her mother again, but after a long time of not talking to each other at all, she felt like a total stranger. She would fix it by the end of the day though. Jane was here to help her. _Jane._ She grinned. It was most certainly her best Christmas ever. She had finally confessed her feelings to Jane and found out that her feelings were returned. Jane Rizzoli was now hers forever. Nothing, not even the out of the blue appearance of her mother was going to ruin this moment.

The food were being served and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was a fun conversation going on, but Jane couldn't focus at all. Maura felt Jane stiffen and asked, ''What's wrong?''

Jane sighed. ''I have been thinking... about us.'' She took both of Maura's hands in her own before continuing. ''I'm very happy that we're together. You're the best thing that has ever happened in my life and I don't mean to ruin it. I don't want to keep us a secret but I'm afraid of what others might say.'' Jane looked down at their entwined hands and frowned.

Maura gently stroked her thumbs along Jane's knuckles. ''I love you, Jane. I don't care what others think about us. Yes, I would be really happy if they approved, but nothing would change if they didn't.'' She brought Jane's hands up and planted a soft kiss on her knuckles, then placed them back on her lap.

''I love you too.'' Jane smiled. She loved Maura more than anything in the world and she felt stupid for worrying about what others might say. They didn't have to agree with it. If anyone had a problem with it, they could keep their thoughts and rude comments to themselves. Jane loved Maura and nothing was going to get in their way. She took a deep breath before looking at Maura. It seemed that Maura already knew what Jane was thinking, so she nodded. Without wasting any time Jane spoke up. ''Hey everyone, may I get your attention for a sec?'' Jane waited until all eyes were fixed on her. She cleared her throat.

''Okay, so um, I was going to tell you guys something,'' Jane glanced at Maura, who gave her an encouraging smile. She continued. ''This is pretty recent, it happened this morning in fact but we felt like sharing.'' Maura squeezed Jane's hands. ''Maura and I... we're together.''

Everyone on the table were silent. Until Tommy spoke, ''You guys weren't together before?'' After noticing the surprised look on Jane's face he continued. ''I thought you were already dating, uh congrats sis. Maura.'' He smiled.

Jane was baffled. Tommy had thought they were together? He had apparently realised that they had a thing for each other before they actually did themselves. Well, makes things easier.

Korsak was the next one to speak. ''I'm so happy for you Janie. It was about damn time! I'm so glad that you have finally found someone who loves you unconditionally. Same to you too, Doc.'' He smiled at the new couple and continued eating.

Jane felt Maura squeeze her hand again. The doctor was smiling, happiness evident on her face. So far this was going pretty good.

Angela suddenly jumped out of her seat to walk to Jane and hug her tightly. ''My baby! I'm so proud of you!'' She squealed as she moved on to Maura to give her a hug. ''My daughters have finally found their soul mates! _And, _Janie, you've found a _doctor!_ Carla Talucci will be so jealous!'' Angela bounced. She was definitely the happiest mother on earth. Of course, this was against her Catholic beliefs, but she didn't care. Her daughters, both Jane and her not biological but still family like daughter had found love. Angela had seen it, she had seen how the two got along. Jane never cared for anyone as much as she did about Maura and Maura was always practically beaming with happiness when she was around Jane. You had to be blind to miss what they had for each other, and if God didn't approve of it, Angela didn't care. She loved seeing her daughters happy.

Everyone at the table wished their best wishes and congratulated the couple. Including Constance Isles, who was the last to speak.

''Maura dear, I am so truly happy for you.'' Constance gathered her thoughts before continuing. ''I know that I was not the best mother figure when you were a child. I never gave you the love you truly deserved. However, I can see that Jane is already doing a more than well job at providing you happiness. Since the day at my art gallery, when Jane threatened me for not paying enough attention to you I had known that Jane was the one for you. Honestly, I had even thought that you were together back then. I'm more than happy to see that my daughter has finally found love. I'm happy that Jane is giving you what I couldn't. I wish both of you a bright future.'' Constance smiled.

Maura was in tears. Constance's speech had shocked everyone at the table, but it had affected Maura the most. She was extremely happy that her mother was supporting their relationship. As Jane stroke her back and whispered soothing words in her ear, Maura couldn't help but smile. This was what she had wished for since her lonely childhood. Love. A loving and caring family. Happiness. She was definitely happy. She was surrounded by the people she loved and cared for the most, the Rizzoli herd, Jane, her first friend. The woman who accepted her and loved her unconditionally. Protected her, accompanied her, took care of her. The Detective Rizzoli who taught Maura how to love. Angela, a second mother. The wonder woman who took care of her three kids _and _Maura, the mighty matriarch who had let Maura in the family and given her all her love and care. Frankie and Tommy, whom she wasn't as close as she was with Jane, but they loved her as a sister anyway. Korsak, sometimes a father, sometimes a friend. A wise old guy with a weakness for pets, who also loved and accepted Maura for who she was.

She was grateful for what she had. She had a family. She was happy.

Finally after years, her wish for Christmas had come true.

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_How can you not love Maura? _

_I wanted her to have a happy Christmas. I'm leaving this Chapter at that, but the next one will begin at the same setting._

_I hope you liked this chapter, please review and let me know what you think. Now, this may sound weird but your reviews are like Christmas presents to me. I feel happy when I receive them and can't seem to get enough. Besides, reviews are the only way I could improve my writing. Please take the time to write your thoughts, so I can see if I made a good job. Feed my ego and you may get the update very soon_

_x_


	7. Our Future?

_I'd like to thank you all again for your kind reviews. Here's the next chapter, full of fluff. _

_I thought I'd write a seperate one about Maura and Jane talking about their feelings and trying to figure out what they are, what they want etc. _

_Hope you like this one._

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They sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, Maura snuggled against Jane's side with a cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows with TJ next to her, the toddler sleeping soundly on Jane's lap.

They had played outside for almost two hours making snow angels and building a giant snowman as a Rizzoli family tradition. With the occasional toss of snowballs around the family they had managed to build a snowman about seven foot tall and Maura had even agreed to use her hat and scarf on it. Then Tommy had that wicked idea, he had asked help from the girls to hold TJ when he buried his legs in snow. Tommy had decided to build a snowman out of TJ and apparently thought that it was a good idea. When Angela had seen the toddler's clapping enthusiastically when his father continued gathering the snow around him, she couldn't help but smile at her now fully grown up son. He was a father now, but he still had the soul of a child. Part of her was worried for TJ, but her grandbaby seemed like he was enjoying being a snowman.

Then Jane had offered Maura to make snow angels, which Maura immediately protested when Jane lay on the cold snow and got all her back soaked. Jane soon convinced Maura to join her though, then it kind of became something more than just making snow angels. They tossed snow at each other, rolled around, acted like complete kids but Maura had to admit, she had never had so much fun with snow in her whole life.

After a while though, both girls were freezing so they had decided to go inside. TJ too was cold and sleepy, so they had taken him inside too. They had prepared some hot chocolate with marshmallows and sat in front of the fireplace with a blanket around them. Maura couldn't stop thinking about Jane and how she was with kids. Though they had been together for only about a day, she couldn't help thinking about a future with Jane. Maura never wanted kids, but seeing Jane with TJ all of a sudden made her heart warm and she realised how much she wanted kids with Jane. She knew that they had to talk about their relationship, though both of them had admitted that they had feelings for each other and even announced the change in their relationship to their family, they had yet to talk about what they were.

Maura, not being shy about her thoughts and feelings, turned to Jane and jumped right into the topic. "Are we girlfriends now?"

Jane paused. "Of course we are... Right?" She didn't know why Maura was asking. She hoped that Maura wasn't having any doubts about their relationship.

"We have confessed our love to each other, yes, but don't you think that we should talk about this?" Seeing Jane nod, she continued. "I want nothing more than to be with you. I can imagine a future with you, Jane. I know we're only at the beginning now, but I want us to grow old together. Spend a lifetime with you, raise your kids, be the one for you. I want it all, Jane." Maura looked into Jane's eyes, waiting for a reply.

Jane leaned in and pressed a kiss on Maura's cheek. "I want that too, Maura. I'm happy that you're willing to put up with me _and_ Ma for the rest of your life!" She planted another soft kiss on Maura's nose before continuing. "I like the idea of calling you my girlfriend. It sounds so nice and so right. And I can imagine you walking in a white gown, struggling to walk in that twelve foot train." They both chuckled.

"You remembered." Maura smiled warmly as the memories flooded back to her, when they had talked about their dream weddings. "Is that your way of proposing?" She teased.

Jane froze. "No, I mean, some day I will propose to you but uh, with an actual ring and..." Maura giggled at how Jane was at loss for words. Jane cleared her throat. "It's early yet, but yeah, I can imagine you as my wife." She smiled, revealing her dimples.

Maura rested her head on Jane's shoulder and scooted closer to her future wife. _Future wife_. She smiled. It sounded wonderful. "I'm not getting married at Fenway." She whispered sleepily.

Jane chuckled. Of course. They had both had a busy day and both were exhausted. It was an amazing day, she had to admit. Finally confessing your feelings to the love of your life and having them returned, your family approving your relationship, snuggling with your girlfriend beside the fireplace... Could a Christmas get any better? Jane snapped out of her thoughts when she heard TJ's wailing.

Both women slowly got up and Jane started rocking TJ back and forth in her arms. Surprisingly, in a matter of seconds TJ had fallen back asleep. Jane was busy with TJ when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She leaned back against Maura, her girlfriend, and smiled.

Maura pressed a kiss on Jane's neck and spoke, "Do you have any idea what seeing you with kids does to me?"

Jane smirked. "I'm just practicing for our future, my dear." She joked, although part of her was being honest. She would be willing to take care of a hundred kids if Maura wanted. Well, maybe not a hundred, but she definitely wanted kids with Maura. _Hopefully one day_, she sighed.

Maura grinned widely._ Our future_. She knew that they had a long road ahead, but she would start making her researches about their future wedding and the clothes shopping for the baby. _Am I being too eager? Oh, I can imagine a toddler, with dark brown curls and huge chocolate brown eyes running around with a Red Sox jersey on. Our kids would be like Jane, brave and loyal. We could go and see baseball games as a family. _Maura was very excited now. She couldn't help asking, "Which one of us are going to have the baby?"

Jane nearly dropped TJ. "Are we going to talk about this _now_? I think we should take it slowly, unless you're willing to tell Ma. Oh God, she would start knitting clothes for the baby the minute you tell her about this." They both laughed.

As if on cue, Angela stormed inside the house. "Hello girls!" She walked toward the couple and took TJ from Jane's hands, planting a kiss on her grandchild's forehead. "You guys hungry? Is TJ okay?"

Jane rolled her eyes and said, "We're fine, thanks Ma."

"So girls," Angela began. "Have you thought about having child-"

"I'm going upstairs to the bedroom." Jane cut her mother off and dragged Maura with her. When they made it to the bed, Jane threw herself on the covers and groaned. "See? We haven't even been dating for a day and she has already started bugging us about having kids!" She patted to the space next to her, gesturing Maura to lay beside her.

They both got inside the covers and Maura scooted close fo Jane, resting her head on the detective's shoulder, her nose in her neck. Their arms tangled and Maura had never felt as warm before as she did at the moment. Jane, though, shivered lightly.

"I'm cold." Mumbled Jane and Maura suddenly had an idea.

Maura began placing kisses on Jane's neck, softly biting a few times, soothing the skin with the tip of her tongue. Jane shivered again, but this time it wasn't the cold. Jane flustered and asked, "Maura, what are you doing?"

Maura's tone was innocent. "Warming you up." She said as she continued kissing Jane's neck.

Jane groaned. "Maur, I love you, but I want to sleep." She whined.

Maura planted one last kiss on her sleepy detective's neck and nodded. Soon they both drifted into sleep.

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_Don't hate me_.

_Reviewers get a chocolate chip cookie from Angela :-)_


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